Bare Essentials
by ATTHS
Summary: Arriving in Blessing, Tennessee, Mulder and Scully discover their bags have not arrived with them.


_Blessing, Tennessee 9:30 a.m. Tuesday _

The tiny airport was hot and crowded, causing Mulder to unbutton the two top buttons on his shirt, hoping to find some relief. He could feel sweat on his neck and back, as he watched the luggage carousel, waiting for their bags.

Scully walked up, fanning her coat around her. "Jesus, it's hot in here," she said, looking at him, her small carry-on bag in one hand. He nodded still keeping an eye on the carousel.

"It's insane that it's _this_ warm in here, the heater has to be broken. I doubt it's that cold outside," he fanned his shirt, the open buttons not offering much relief.

"Well, we'll find out as soon as our bags get here and we can get the car," she said, glancing at her watch. "We should head straight over to the church." He nodded again, frowning as he realized the baggage carousel was now empty. Bags were no longer coming and he heaved a sigh.

_Great, just great, _he thought. Scully looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He shook his head and headed to the baggage claim office.

A half an hour later, forms were filled out, and a heated discussion had been had about the heat of the airport. Mulder caught up to Scully, and they walked toward the rental lot. Scully had filled out the paperwork and gotten the keys, while he dealt with their lost bags. They would try to deliver them as soon as possible. But first, they needed to figure out where they were exactly.

"Where they are exactly, Scully," he said, as they walked to the car. "How is it that they don't know where our bags are "exactly" but everyone else's arrived here with no problems? We all left from the same place, on the same flight." She put her carry-on in the trunk, and they both got in the car. He turned on the ignition, shaking his head as he looked over at her.

She scrunched up her chin, something he found so goddamn adorable and shook her head. "I don't know, but hopefully they'll find them and bring them by later tonight. Let's get to the church," she said, gesturing for him to drive.

"I can't go like _this_, Scully," he said pointing at his clothes. He was wearing dark jeans and a long sleeved polo shirt. "I was going to change once we stopped by the motel, but now I don't have my luggage."

"Then you _will _have to go like that," she said, looking at him in exasperation.

"No, we can find a store and I'll pick something up. Not a _suit_, but something better than this," he said, backing up the car and heading out. She hummed her annoyance, and he scoffed.

"If you had dressed accordingly," she said, under her breath, shaking her head and looking out her window.

"I told you all my dress shirts were at the cleaners, and it was a mad dash to even get there before we left. I had no other options," he said, watching for when it would be safe to merge onto the highway.

"Mulder, how long have we been doing this? Seven years? Why do you leave everything until the last minute?" she asked, with a glance his way. "You tell me we're leaving, and I have a wardrobe already packed in my head, business suits ready to go at all times."

"If we all were as prepared as you, who would be the dreamers? The artists who walk around with paint in their hair or on their hands because other aspects of life are more important?" he volleyed back at her. "We can't all be Dana Scullys." He glanced at her and saw she was trying not to smile.

"You all can try," she said, sassily, giving in and giving him a beautiful smile. His heart pounded, and his mouth went dry, causing him to clear his throat. She turned and looked out the window again, and it was quiet in the car.

Just before the exit for the church, he left the highway, looking for a place to buy some new clothes. A store came into view, and he pulled into the parking lot. Scully looked at him, and he shrugged. They both got out of the car and walked inside.

Scully looked at him, the store not quite the type of clothing they usually purchased. She walked away from him towards the women's section, and he headed to the men's.

Not wanting to spend too much time in the store, he quickly found his size and grabbed a shirt- a long sleeved button down grayish patterned shirt. It was not something he usually would be drawn to, being a rather ugly color and print, but it would work.

Pants were next- a pair of dark slacks, and also a belt. He caught Scully's eye and jerked his head toward the dressing room. She nodded and walked toward him, as he stepped behind the curtain to try on the clothes. He could hear her breathing on the other side, and he flushed at the thought that a mere piece of fabric separated them as he undressed.

"Mulder?" she asked, her tone reminding him they were on a timetable.

"Yeah, I know. These are good, I'll get them," he said, slipping on his shoes and tying them. "I'll wear them out from here."

"Hand me the tags and I'll pay for them," she said, reaching her hand inside the curtain. He smiled, pulling them from the clothes and placing them in her hand. Her hand left, and he picked up his other clothes.

He tucked in his shirt, fastened his belt, and opened the curtain. Seeing Scully at the register, he walked over to her. She looked him up and down and scrunched her chin again before turning back to the store clerk.

"I grabbed you a jacket too," she said, handing over her credit card. "It is cold out, despite how hot it was at the airport. They didn't have your size exactly, and there are no ties, but at least you will look better than how you did earlier." She glanced at him, and he nodded his thanks.

His own clothes were put in a large store bag, along with what she had purchased for herself, though he did not see what she bought. Putting the new grey coat over his arm, he put his hand on her back and led her out of the store.

_The Heartbreak Motel, 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning _

Pulling up to the motel, as it bordered on one in the morning, he sighed, his body completely exhausted. He glanced at Scully, seeing her worrying her lips as she sat beside him. When he turned off the car, it broke her from her thoughts, causing her to look at him and unbuckle her seatbelt.

"I'll go get our rooms," he said, putting his hand on hers, stopping her from getting out just yet. She nodded and sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest.

He got out and spoke to the motel clerk, getting them adjoining rooms. Two keys with glittery guitar keychains were handed to him. The man shrugged and Mulder nodded, holding them as he walked out the door.

He drove closer to their rooms, and they both got out. Handing her her key, he grabbed her carry-on and the store bag out of the trunk, following her into her room. He set the bag down, and she began to go through it. She took out a pack of underwear, a couple of pairs of dress socks, and a pack of undershirts. The barest of essentials, and something he had completely overlooked.

She handed them over to him with a raised eyebrow. He grinned at her and took them, his thoughts and feelings mixed. He was happy at her thoughtfulness and also felt that familiar feeling of desire for her. She had picked out underwear for him.

God, he loved her.

He nodded at her and made to leave the room. "You're welcome," she said sarcastically. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Thank you kindly, Miss Scully," he said in an overly put upon Southern accent. She rolled her eyes and walked forward to close the door when he left.

He went into his own room and set all his things on his bed. His jacket was taken off and thrown on the chair, his clothes and shoes following, as he went into the bathroom and started the shower.

He showered and came into the room in a towel. Ripping open the packages, he took out a shirt and a pair of underwear. Dressed, he picked up and then hung his clothes, obviously needing to wear them again tomorrow, unless the bags miraculously showed up in the middle of the night.

A knock sounded at the adjoining door, and he unlocked it, finding Scully, her hair still damp from her own shower. He tried not to stare, but she was so cute standing there in a pair of un-Scully like pajamas. Cotton, long sleeved, and lilac. They were tighter and clingier than usual. Try as he might, he could not avoid noticing her hard nipples.

"Here," she said, thankfully interrupting his thoughts and redirecting his eyes. She handed him a new packaged toothbrush and he raised his eyebrows at her. "From my carry-on. After they lost our luggage that time in Boise, I've made sure to at least have the basic essentials: my makeup bag and toiletries."

"Good thinking. Maybe I should start doing that too," he said, opening the toothbrush.

"Maybe?" she said with a look.

"Yeah, maybe," he said with a grin. He stuck the toothbrush in his mouth and she winced. "What? Gotta do what I can without toothpaste."

"You think I would pack toothbrushes and not pack toothpaste? What's the point of that, Mulder?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Oh. Well, can you hand it to me?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"I am not giving you the toothpaste. I will let you _use_ it, but it stays with me," she stated, both eyebrows raised high.

"What?"

"Yeah, Mr. Squeezes-It-From-The-Middle, the toothpaste stays with me," she said cheekily. "I'm not having a repeat fiasco of The Falls." He stared at her, but took the toothbrush from his mouth and presented it to her.

She uncapped the toothpaste, squeezed it tightly from the bottom, and loaded up his toothbrush. Replacing the cap, she smirked at him, making a show of the flatness of the tube of toothpaste. He nodded, looking at his toothbrush.

"You know, sometimes squeezing things in the middle is the best option. Lightly or with more force, depending on the situation," he said, watching her eyes as he spoke. They moved across his face and landed on his lips. He had to fight the urge to run his tongue across them, wanting to see how _that _would affect her.

"Well, there's also something to be said about following the rules," she said, crossing her arms and looking in his eyes. "Even if you really do want to break them." He held his breath, not daring to imagine she actually meant what she did. Christ, he was suddenly very hot. Were they still talking about _toothpaste_?

"Good night, Mulder," she said, starting to close her door. "Come see me in the morning when you need more … toothpaste." She looked at him once more, before closing the door all the way.

Oh, sweet Jesus. How did she do that? How did a conversation about toothpaste arouse him so much? He stood at the door, wanting it to open, to hear her say she needed more, and not be talking about toothpaste. Shaking his head, he forced himself to step back from the door and go into the bathroom and brush his teeth.

He laid down in bed a few minutes later with his mind buzzing and the taste of mint in his mouth. He turned over and punched his pillow trying not to think of how lilac had looked beautiful on her and how deliciously minty she would taste if he went into her room and kissed her.

_The Heartbreak Motel 12:45 a.m. Thursday morning _

_God_, he thought as he came back to the motel room, _what a day_. He took off the clothes he had been wearing for the second time, never wanting to see them again. He knew they smelled, even without getting his nose close to them. He had no idea what he was going to do about an outfit tomorrow.

Scully's bag had made it to the motel, and been dropped off at the office. She sighed with relief at the sight of it, and then apologized to him that his was still missing. Disappearing into her room, he ducked into his own, wishing this case were over. If he never saw another snake again, he would be happy.

He showered and changed into another undershirt and underwear Scully had the foresight to purchase for him. He paced the room as he thought of what to do about his clothes tomorrow, when he heard Scully knock on the adjoining door. He grinned and went to grab his toothbrush before he opened it.

Again she stood in the doorway with wet hair, but this time in her own black satin pajamas. They were nice, but not tight, lilac nice. She held out the toothpaste and he brandished his toothbrush at her, making her roll her eyes, her lips curling into a small smile.

"I'm gonna need to get something for tomorrow. No way I can wear those clothes again. I'd like to have a burial service for them if I could. Could we arrange that?" She laughed and looked at him as she put on the toothpaste. He winked at her and stuck his toothbrush in his mouth.

"You were rather ripe today. I'm sorry your bag isn't here. It's quite nice to put on my own clean clothes," she said capping the toothpaste.

"Braggart," he said around his toothbrush. He walked away and spit in the bathroom sink. He finished up, rinshed out his mouth, and set his toothbrush down.

She was leaning against the door jamb, her arms crossed, eyes roaming up his body. He caught her when she got to his eyes and she moved, uncrossing her arms and clearing her throat. Her cheeks were flushed and he could not stop the smile that creeped across his face.

"Well, goodnight. We'll figure out something for your clothes tomorrow. Maybe hit that store again. See you in the morning," she said all in a rush, closing her door with a loud click.

He smiled, knowing he caught her looking and knowing she knew he did. Things were changing between them. It was going slowly, but he liked it that way. Something was still there, something holding them both back, but they were moving closer. He smiled again, and then his eyes landed on his clothes. Shaking his head, he resolved to be up early, determined to not be around her again until he smelled better than "ripe."

_The Heartbreak Motel 7:30 a.m. Friday _

The alarm went off the next morning, and he slid on his pants with a cringe. He kept just his undershirt on, put on his shoes, and drove to the same store. They were just opening when he walked inside. Not wanting to take too much time, he grabbed a white button down and a pair of khaki pants. He balked at them, but it was what was available to purchase.

Just before he walked to the register, he spotted a leather jacket. He stopped and looked at it. It was a rather nice jacket and there was no reason he should not buy it, even if he had one similar to it already. No chance could he wear that grey coat Scully had picked, with the new khaki colored

pants.

He found his size and added it to the other items. If Scully's bag arrived yesterday, hopefully it meant his would arrive sometime today, and this would be enough to get by. If not, he would need to find a place and wash what he had with him.

Purchase complete, he went back out to the car, dropping his bag beside him, and driving back to the motel. Once inside, he quickly showered again and got dressed. God, it felt so good to wear new, clean clothes, and not something that was sweaty and smelly.

Scully knocked on the adjoining door and he opened it. She looked at him and nodded, a smile on her face. Catching his eye, she stared at him with a look he could not quite place. Breaking his gaze after a few seconds, she took a breath.

"I got a call. There was a problem with Gracie. We need to go." He grabbed his jacket and followed her out the door.

_Blessings of God Hospital 10:30 a.m. Sunday _

He stared at her as she sat next to him on his hospital bed, her eyes so blue and beautiful. She sighed and smiled again before squeezing his hand, getting up and heading to the door. His wounds were healing and he was starting to feel better, but he would be in the hospital for a couple more days. Bored and ready to leave, seeing her made him happy, but he wished he could be leaving with her.

"Oh," she said, turning around and looking at him with a cheeky grin. "Your bag showed up last night. So, you're good to go. You know … when you're ready to wear pants again."

"Goddamn. Finally," he said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. She smiled and nodded before she headed out the door.

He looked at the door and sighed. A few more days and he would be ready to leave. It could not come soon enough. Watching her leave every day was killing him. He was ready to be done with this and continue moving forward.

He just needed his goddamn pants to get the hell out of this hospital. Thank all that was holy in the world, he was never so happy to hear he had clothes waiting for him.

Lost luggage could eat a huge pile of shit.


End file.
